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Young man, two are the forces most precious to mankind. The first is Demeter, the Goddess. She is the Earth -- or any name you wish to call her -- and she sustains humanity with solid food. Next came Dionysus, the son of the virgin, bringing the counterpart to bread: wine and the blessings of life's flowing juices. His blood, the blood of the grape, lightens the burden of our mortal misery. Though himself a God, it is his blood we pour out to offer thanks to the Gods. And through him, we are blessed.
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What we look for does not come to pass; God finds a way for what none foresaw.
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Few have greater riches than the joy That comes to us in visions, In dreams which nobody can take away.
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Only one in command: that's the way in the home And the way in the state when it must find Measures best for mankind.
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For the weariest road that man may wend Is forth fromn the home of his father.
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Of mortals there is no one who is happy. If wealth flows in upon one, one may be perhaps luckier than one's neighbor, but still not happy.
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Good and bad may not be dissevered; There is, as there should be, a commingling.
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They who are sad find somehow sweetness in tears.
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Fortune truly helps those who are of good judgment.
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Do not mistake the rule of force for true power. Men are not shaped by force.
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There is desire in those who love to hear about their loved ones' pains.
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Bear calamities with meekness.
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Our ancestors... purged their guilt by banishment, not death. And by so doing, they stopped that endless vicious cycle of murder and revenge.
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He who can properly summarize many ideas in a brief statement, is a wise man.
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There seems to be some pleasure for women in sick talk of one another.
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Nothing is hopeless; we must hope for everything.
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God gives each his due at the time allotted.
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If some appalling disaster befalls, there's Always a way for the rich.
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To a father waxing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter; sons have spirits of a higher pitch, but less inclined to endearing fondness.
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New faces have more authority than accustomed ones.